Thread: What is Memorial Day to us Americans?

Thank You for that video Cuda. It brought tears to my eyes. My dad served in the South Pacific Theater of the USMC in WWII so that makes it even more powerful to me.

I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

I find it very sad that posts like these are soon 'lost'/ignored or simply forgotten! I'm sure it's because it's not razor, strop or hone orientated!

My Boy Scout Scoutmaster is trying to be 93 years old this year, he's a Marine who survived Iwo Jima.

He had invited me up to take a look at some straight razors he had (and then he gave them to me), I'd taken my youngest daughter, her boy and my son along. My son had a Jr ROTC inspection at school that day so he was in full dress uniform and when I introduced him to Owen, my son stood at attention, posted a snappy salute and said I salute you Sir! Owen said thank you, but you don't need to salute me, I was only a corporal!!

I wouldn't be the man I am today without his guidance!

Cuda,
Thanks so much for sharing the video and to everyone else, thanks for remembering. Truer words than "The Greatest Generation" were never spoken. Most of us who are serving or ever have will agree that those cats were just heart and soul GIs and true patriots. My father was one of them and the finest man I ever knew. They say they'll all be gone in the next 15 years or so. The country and the world will truly be lesser places when they're gone.

Owen and I keep in touch via email, I once told him that he was part of the Greatest Generation of America, he wrote back that his generation wasn’t the greatest generation, that every generation was the greatest.

I replied that I disagreed; If the rationing of gas/food/electricity etc were to be imposed today as it was during WW2 there would be riots in the streets!

He agreed!

He and all like him are and were the Greatest Generation!

My meager attempts at accomplishments in life are hidden by the shadow they he and others like him cast!

Well said cudarunner. I would love to sit and listen to a WWII vet tell his stories. I have the utmost admiration for those men. They truely were patriotic Americans like no other generation.

I knew a guy that was part of that "Generation" this man landed on Omaha beach on June 6th, fought through some of the worst of the rest of WWII including The Battle of the Bulge, in fact he was one of the men that found the bodies of the Massace at Malmedy.
Told me the stories of almost drowning coming off the landing craft and leaving his BAR at the bottom of the English Channel, that if he had not learned to swim at Coney Island in his youth he never would have made it to shore like half the guys on his boat..

Heard how after WWII he got out of the Military and he bartended at the Waldorf Astoria in NY, then went back in 1950 although he took the choice offered and went into the newly formed Air Force, which was perfect timing for the Korean Conflict, which I am not quite sure what he did there but something to do with Radar..

After Korea he married and raised a family, stayed in as a career guy, an NCO who lived all over the world with his family, nearly ready to retire in 1971 he managed to get new orders after just buying a house stateside that sent him to Vietnam for a tour there..

Three wars and he was a quiet family man, never showing a hint of what that could do to most men, he retired after Vietnam and worked at JC Penney for many years after that.. He never talked much about the wars unless asked and then he downplayed much of it..

In fact I never really knew what all he really did in the wars until his funeral when I asked for his Ribbons to be duplicated so I could have the originals, the guy at the uniform shop looked and said "Do you have any idea what all these are for" I said "Some of them yes, many of them no" He said "Let's put it this way son, your Dad was in some scrapes and knocked around quite a bit over 30 years".... That was the way that Pops was, to him it was just the job he had to do, I never saw him ever wear a hat, t-shirt or any other memorabilia that said "Veteran" of any kind, he was more proud of raising a family then being a 3 war veteran..

A quiet man from a quiet generation that did what was asked by his country, to me that is what Memorial Day is about..